H5N1 avian influenza (H5 bird flu)
H5 avian influenza has been detected in Victoria. It is a highly contagious form of bird flu that can cause severe illness and death in birds.
H5 bird flu is present in wild birds in Victoria. Bird flu cannot be controlled in the wild.
From 20 August, bird flu reporting in Victoria has changed to align with the national reporting framework.
We now report H5 bird flu events, rather than individual detections. The new number of positive events captures all previously reported individual confirmed detections.
You can explore confirmed events on our interactive map.
* Disclaimer: Data is updated nationally at different points in time, so there may be delays and inconsistencies in figures on various platforms.
Positive numbers reported are based on laboratory results from samples taken, not a fulsome picture of all H5 bird flu in Victoria.
H5 bird flu has not been detected in poultry.
For updates, visit this page regularly and follow Agriculture Victoria on Facebook.
For more information about the situation across Australia, visit Bird flu.
If you see sick or dead birds or other wildlife, do not touch them. Avoid direct contact. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline or use the form below.
Report sick or dead wild birds or marine mammals
Report clusters of 5 or more sick or dead wild birds of any species, anywhere in Victoria.
Report even one sick or dead:
- wild seabird, waterbird, shorebird or bird of prey
- marine mammal (e.g. seal, dolphin).
Report sick or dead poultry or livestock
Call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
Requirements and authorisations
A requirement for targeted poultry biosecurity measures for flocks of 50 or more birds is in place in Victoria for certain local government areas in coastal and southern areas of the state.
A control order – dead wildlife sampling, handling and disposal on public land is in place for the whole state of Victoria. This order authorises land managers to move and dispose of wildlife that have died from H5 bird flu on public land.
A control order – dead wildlife sampling, handling and disposal on private land is in place for the whole state of Victoria. This order authorises land owners and managers to move and dispose of wildlife that have died from H5 bird flu on private land.